Tuesday Tip: Breathe

Who needs to be reminded about one of the most unconscious things we do? As it appears, just about everyone. “Breathe” has to be one of the most common messages flashed to riders, whether they’re on a local track, or in a stadium for a Supercross.

Last weekend at Anaheim was Ryan Villopoto’s first Supercross event, and after passing Darcy Lange, he led a portion of the main event before being passed by Andrew Short. A second place finish in your first-ever Supercross is an awesome accomplishment, and Ryan definitely learned from it. “Everything was going good, and I could see Andrew catching me a little bit. It started freaking me out, so I started not breathing real well, and it jacked me up. He started catching me a lot quicker.”

Ryan described it as the most important thing he learned last weekend. “For sure I need to breathe more when I’m out there. I think I was only breathing three times per lap¿at the finish line, and after that, I don’t know if I was breathing or not.”

So even if you’re bracing yourself for a relentless batch of jumps, don’t forget to breathe. Get in the habit of reminding yourself to catch a breath while you’re in the air over a jump, and at other points around the track where you have a second to relax. We’d guess you’ll notice the difference in your lap times and stamina.